Cosmic Doctor Part 2
by Chewie-Fan
Summary: Maureen is losing hope. Will the beast be their savior? My thanks to Wayne for creating the fourth Season Episode Project. The LIS characters still don't belong to me, but will they survive?
1. Chapter 1

Last week, as you recall, Dr. Smith and Will devoured a native plant that brought illness to the crew of the Jupiter 2. Frightened and alone, Maureen Robinson prayed that she would discover the cure as her loved ones fought for their lives.

**Chapter 1**

After allowing her to finish her tea, the Robot rolled up to the galley table and gave Maureen the closest thing he could to a hug by extending his arms around her shoulders.

"Do not despair, Mrs. Robinson. All of the ill members of your family continue to fight the infection. I will monitor their symptoms while you work in the lab this evening."

"Thank you, Robot. I will need your help. I'm going to collect blood and cell samples from our patients. Please check that the force field is working properly and stay alert for any intruders until I'm done."

"Affirmative, Mrs. Robinson."

Maureen returned to the lab with the vials of blood and slides of skin cells. Her last task was to collect samples from Don and Judy's coughs, but she heard the Robot's blaring warning signal, so she grabbed a laser rifle and rushed outside.

Beyond the force field was a large beast standing on its hind legs. It was growling in rage as its front paws were shocked by the electricity of the field every time it tried to approach the ship.

"What should we do?" she asked the robot.

"The force field is effective, Mrs. Robinson. The creature should leave the area when it realizes that it cannot venture past that point. I suggest that we continue to work in the lab at the present time."

"I guess you're right. Attacking this beast won't help me find a solution to the illnesses."

They returned to the ship and closed the hatch for the night. Maureen put the angry wailing of the monster out of her mind while she returned to Judy's room to complete her collection.

Both of the patients were awake, and gazing at each other, but, other than the coughing, barely moved. Maureen helped Judy struggle to a seated position and had her cough into a Petri dish that held a microscope slide. After helping her settle back onto the bed, she turned her attention to Don and collected his specimen.

Before she put the mask back on him, he whispered, "John?"

"He's resting. Just worry about yourself," Maureen replied as she glanced over at her daughter, "And Judy." She didn't want to lie to him and tell him that John was fine, but she also didn't want to worry him. She would do more than enough worrying for all of them.

Maureen and the Robot entered the lab area, and Maureen spoke aloud as she studied the slides. She was comforted by the Robot's presence and was grateful for his emotional as well as intellectual support. More and more, she was thinking of the Robot as another family member rather than just a walking computer.

"Let's see what we have so far. Penny and John's blood samples are the only ones that contain the spores. The spore clumps in Penny's blood are surrounded by white corpuscles, but they haven't been able to destroy the spores."

"Affirmative, Mrs. Robinson, and there is an 84.7 percent probability that the fever is inhibiting the growth of more spores."

"The skin samples have the spores clumped together also, but they're only in the epidermis and haven't penetrated any deeper."

"It is my observation that the rash has stopped spreading on those who were initially infected."

"I suppose I should be thankful for that. Now for the mucous."

Maureen placed Judy's slide under the microscope and peered into the eyepiece. "Oh, no." She switched Judy's slide for Don's and saw the same result. "They don't have a simple respiratory infection. The spores have invaded both their lungs."

She placed the slides into their storage unit. Her movements were sure and quick, but belied what was in her heart. Finding the solutions that would cure all six of them was a monumental task and Maureen felt overwhelmed. The Robot sensed her fear and again offered comfort.

"You must rest for a few hours Mrs. Robinson. I will stand guard until you are refreshed and ready to pursue a cure."

Maureen nodded in agreement and left to comfort herself at her husband's side.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It seemed as if she had barely closed her eyes when the Robot interrupted her repose.

"Warning, warning, Mrs. Robinson, the alien creature has returned and is attempting to pierce the force field. There is a 78.3 percent chance that the field will be compromised."

Instantly awake, she dashed to the weapons area and snatched a laser rifle. She opened the hatch and waited at the top of the ramp. The creature beat at the invisible field with a thick branch, sending sparks back at him, which only made him angrier.

Watching the scene before her, Maureen made a decision. "Shut down the force field, Robot."

"That does not compute, Mrs. Robinson. It is the only protection you have."

"I know what I have to do. Shut it down and on my mark give the beast all the electricity you have."

The Robot rolled over to the unit and threw the switch as Maureen steadied the laser rifle. As soon as the beast took a step, Maureen shouted, "Now!" and blasted the animal with all the power that her weapon possessed. The Robot did the same and the animal slowed, but did not stop. Maureen unconsciously walked backwards as the animal continued to approach. After what seemed like an eternity, the monster dropped at her feet, but Maureen continued to depress the trigger.

The Robot finally spoke to attract her attention. "Mrs. Robinson. The alien is dead."

Maureen removed her finger, but continued to aim at the beast. "Are you sure?"

"Affirmative. My sensors tell me that all life signs have ceased."

Dropping the rifle to her side, Maureen sighed, "Thank God! Help me get it away from the ship."

"Mrs. Robinson. The creature may hold the key to the cures."

"How so?"

"The animal feeds on the fruit and may have developed an immunity to the spores that the fruit produces."

"You mean its biology may have adapted to it?"

"Affirmative. The answer may lie in its biochemistry."

"I hope you're right, Robot. Please turn the force field back on. I'm going to check on our patients, and then I'll be back to take some samples from this beast."

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Maureen approached her husband's sleeping form and was startled when he spoke to her.

"I heard… shooting. What happened?"

"The monster came back, John. I finally killed it."

"Alone?"

"Not really. The Robot was with me, and believe me, I needed him there."

"I should have… been there."

"And you would have if your fever wasn't approaching 104 degrees. Try to rest, dear. I'm going to check on the others."

Dr. Smith was sleeping soundly. Now that the rash had stopped spreading, he seemed to be more comfortable although he still had a fever. It wasn't as high as it had been the previous night, and she hoped that he had passed the worst of the illness. The same was true for Will. She guessed that the biggest source of contamination for them had been consuming the food, and vomiting may have resolved half of their problem.

Entering Judy's room, Maureen was unnerved at the sound of Don and Judy's ragged wheezing. They seemed to struggle for each painful breath. Judy's rash had stopped spreading across her face, but their fevers were still dangerously high.

Penny was still her biggest concern. She had barely moved in several hours and her fever continued to rage.

Satisfied that there was nothing more she could do for them, she took her equipment out to the monster. She collected several samples of the monster's skin, hair and blood, and prayed that she was holding the answer in her hands as she returned to the lab.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After studying all three samples under the microscope, Maureen exhaled a hopeful breath. "We might have something here. The blood and skin cells of the animal contain long, smooth cells that have many spores attached to them. Let me try one more thing."

Maureen added a drop of Penny's blood to the animal's sample. The spores from her sample immediately attached themselves to the long cells. "Yes! The long cells in the animal's blood act like a magnet for the spores. If I can isolate the clean long cells, I can inject them into Penny and John's blood… but then, how do I get those clumps out?"

"I have a theory, Mrs. Robinson. The hair samples contained bits of a large insect. It is possible that those insects feed on the blood that contains the magnet cells and spores."

"Like mosquitoes?"

"Negative, Mrs. Robinson. Rather like leeches."

"Leeches! Well, as horrible as that sounds, it's worth investigating."

Several hours later, Maureen had isolated the animal's cleansing cells and the Robot had collected live insects for their investigation. The Robot had been correct. The insects were indeed like vacuum cleaners, sucking the magnet cells from the animal's blood.

Maureen isolated enough of the strand-like magnet cells to add them to Penny and John's IV's. While she waited for the strands to attract the poison, she made a paste with baking soda and added the magnet cells, then spread it over the infected areas of her patients as a salve. She had no idea if this would be effective, but it was an easy remedy to try, and sometimes simple worked best.

She took fresh blood samples from Penny and John and noted that the spores had indeed been attracted to the magnet cells. After steeling herself for the next step, she placed the vacuum insects directly on their open wounds and prayed that they would be effective without causing further problems.

Maureen rejoined the Robot in the lab and sighed, "One more, and possibly the most difficult."

"Difficult, but possible, Mrs. Robinson. I would suggest that we put the magnet cells in water and use the vaporizer to release them into the air."

"So Don and Judy inhale the steam. The magnet cells do their work, and they can hopefully cough up the result."

"Affirmative, Mrs. Robinson."

"It will take a long time to fill the room with steam."

"It would be more efficient to make a tent over each infected patient and fill it with both the vaporized air and oxygen."

"We only have one vaporizer, so we'll have to do one at a time. I'll get everything together."

Before Maureen could leave to collect the needed equipment for Don and Judy, they heard a bellowing from Dr. Smith's room and Maureen smiled. "It would appear that at least one of our patients is on their way to recovery."

"Proceed with what you need to do, Mrs. Robinson. I will take care of Dr. Smith."

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Dr. Smith was indeed much recovered. "Finally, a response to my calls! Is there no one on this ship who is concerned about my well-being?"

"Dr. Smith, you do not know that you, the Robinson family and Major West have been gravely ill. Mrs. Robinson has been feverishly searching for remedies and you have been the first one to recover."

"Remedies? Remedies for what?"

"The fruit you so avidly ate was not suitable for human consumption. You have been the cause of the illnesses."

"Me? That is impossible, you bulbous bag of bolts."

"I will not argue with you, Dr. Smith. I must check on the progress of the other patients."

As Dr. Smith had recovered, so had Will. He was restless and anxious to leave his sickroom. "Come on, Robot, let me get up. I'm fine."

"Negative, Will Robinson. You may not leave your bed until your mother has examined you and declared you to be cured."

Dr. Smith appeared at Will's doorway, sans IV. "William, I will exam you to determine if you are well enough to leave your cabin."

"Dr. Smith," the Robot commanded, "Mrs. Robinson would not want you out of your bed."

"Have you forgotten that I am as much a doctor as Mrs. Robinson?"

Exasperated, the Robot replied, "Fine, Dr. Smith. I will inform Mrs. Robinson that you and Will Robinson have recovered."

The Robot found Maureen in Judy's room, moving across to examine Don. After several minutes, she looked up at the Robot in frustration. "They are both equally sick, Robot. Whom should we start with?" Both Don and Judy were awake enough to overhear her comment, and each whispered the others' name.

The Robot added his suggestion, "They must both be attended to at the same time. I suggest we place Judy Robinson in bed with Major West."

"Oh, Robot, I don't know."

A voice agreed with the Robot from the doorway. "He is quite correct, Madam. Your sense of decorum must be set aside if we are to save both of them."

"Dr. Smith! What are you doing out of bed?"

"I assure you that I have recovered quite well, as has William. Now we must make haste. Their breathing is quite labored indeed, and it may not be long before they take their final breath."

With Dr. Smith and the Robot's help, settling Judy into bed with Don was easier than Maureen had expected. She couldn't help but smile when she noticed Don's arm protectively encircle Judy's waist. Just being together seemed to ease their breathing the tiniest bit. She waited until the vaporized air and oxygen filled the tent over their heads, and then left to attend to her remaining patients.

Maureen found Will in Penny's room, thoroughly filling her in on all that had transpired since Penny had become ill. Although Penny was extremely tired, she was alert and smiled when her mother entered the room.

"Welcome back, Penny. You were asleep for quite a long time." Turning to Will, she felt his forehead and noted that the color had returned to his cheeks. "You seem to be totally recovered. Let me see your arms." She examined them and noted, "No rash. The salve worked!"

"Dr. Smith already examined me, Mom, and said I was fine."

"And so is he. Now do me a favor and go check on your father while I look after Penny."

Will knew that his father had been the last one infected and expected him to still be the most seriously ill. He was surprised to see him awake and in good spirits.

"Dad? How do you feel?"

"Better than last night. And you look fine! How is everyone else?"

"Well, Dr. Smith and I are okay. Penny is awake and Mom said that her fever was finally down. I think she's going to be okay. What happened to your face, Dad?"

"I ran into that beast. That's what made me sick. How about Judy and Don?"

"They're still really sick, Dad. Mom has them together in like a tent with the vaporizer going."

"Vaporizer?"

Maureen appeared at the door, exhausted, but still functioning. "I'll explain it all to you while I collect a blood sample. I want to be sure your blood is clean before I take those insects off your face."

"Insects?"

She chuckled and nodded, "Insects."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Something stirred in his bed and Don cracked his eyes open to see a mass of blond hair in front of his face. He felt a trim waist under his arm and pulled it closer against his body.

"Am I," he croaked, "… in heaven?"

A delicate hand covered his own and Judy's weak voice answered, "I think..." She coughed, "I think we both are."

A third voice ventured an opinion. "Not heaven, Major, but surely the closest you will ever come." The plastic tent was lifted and Dr. Smith examined both of them, the Robot observing intently behind him.

"Your fevers are much reduced," the Robot announced.

"I am so happy to hear that!" Maureen stated as she entered the room. "Any productive coughing yet?"

"Minimal, Mrs. Robinson," the Robot replied.

She placed two Petri dishes nearby and pulled the tent down again. "Now you two keep breathing the vapor as deeply as you can. I want to hear lots of coughing before we take you both out of that tent."

"I will maintain a watch over them, Mrs. Robinson," Dr. Smith offered. "You must get some rest. It won't be long before everyone will be fully recovered and back to the usual routines."

"As in preparing meals, Dr. Smith?"

"Well, I must say that my appetite has heartily returned, and I look forward to those marvelous meals that we will all need to regain our strength."

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Several days passed before all of the patients were out of their beds and the ship disinfected. The only remnants of the illnesse were occasional coughs from Don and Judy as they continued to clear their lungs.

John and Maureen ventured out of the ship to marvel at the stars overhead, thankful that everyone in their family was alive and well.

"You are an incredible woman, Maureen," John murmured as he placed his arms around her and drew her close.

"Well, thank you, John. I am so glad that you appreciate my medical expertise," she replied.

"Medical expertise, courage, determination, ability to fire a weapon among other, shall we say, 'special' talents?"

She turned her face towards his and he leaned down to kiss her soundly on the lips. As they parted, a duet of coughs could be heard from behind a pile of rocks near the ship.

Maureen chuckled and observed, "Well, I'd say that everything is finally back to normal."

"As normal as they can be for a family lost in space."

**The End**


End file.
